1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a procedure for determining the probability of finding a parking place within a certain period of time on a pre-set stretch of road of an area with a multiplicity of stretches of road. It further relates to a procedure for displaying the probability, on a preset stretch of road, of finding a parking place, in a radiolocation-aided, especially satellite-aided, navigation device having digitally recorded mapping data and a display device to display the mapping data. Lastly, the invention also relates to a procedure to guide the user of a radiolocation-aided, especially satellite-aided, navigation device along a route to seek a parking place in the vicinity of a travel destination.
2. Background Information
Radiolocation navigation, especially satellite-aided location, has long been known. Especially it serves motor vehicle drivers for getting oriented along a stretch of road to a desired travel destination. Such navigation procedures are based on satellite-aided radiolocation, currently the so-called GPS system. Modern navigation devices contain digital mapping data which they consult to plan appropriate travel routes. The route typically is planned based on input of a destination address or of a target point, to which, proceeding from the current position (the starting position), the navigation device computes the optimal route.
There is a very wide variety of navigation devices. Navigation devices installed permanently in motor vehicles are known, as are mobile devices. Among mobile devices there are some that function exclusively as navigation devices. However, currently multi-function devices such as smart phones or tablet PCs enjoy great popularity, and, if equipped with appropriate applications software with a navigation function, can thus be used as navigation devices. For in many of these multi-function devices, currently satellite navigation receivers (GPS receivers) are already installed, by which these devices have available the hardware prerequisites for use as a navigation device. Certain manufacturers have reached a level of specialization such that they offer applications software for such devices that make available digital mapping data, route computation routines and other functions of a navigation device and thus upgrade the mobile terminal to a navigation device.
Along with mere route guidance from a starting point to a destination, modern navigation devices also offer additional functions such as making available information about points of interest (POI), such as places worth visiting, museums, public parks and the like. Dynamic route guidance is also known, in which traffic situations along the planned route and stretch of road are allowed for, such as traffic tie-ups. Information about such tie-ups are received by navigation devices in part via appropriately encoded signals transmitted from radio stations with traffic information or through evaluations of movement data from other users of such navigation devices. If the motion of users is significantly slowed, especially if it comes to a halt, then the manufacturer of a navigation device who queries its users about this motion profile concludes that a tie-up or halt has occurred in the vicinity of this section of road in which a change has occurred in the motion profile of its users, and issues a tie-up message to that effect to the navigation device.
All of these functions described serve to guide a user from a starting point to a destination.
It is known that a large part of a vehicle's traveling time is expended in seeking for a parking place at his destination. In large cities, most vehicle drivers park their vehicles at the side of the street, and thus once they have reached their destination they circle around the destination without guidance until they have found the streetside parking place. Not only is valuable time lost, but especially when drivers repeatedly go around in circles in areas without many parking places, the result can be increased traffic, and at worst this can lead to tie-ups and gridlock.
Even now navigation devices and systems exist which offer the user an option of guided searches for a parking place. However, these navigation devices or systems are limited to guiding the user to a paid parking place such as a parking garage in which unoccupied spaces are present. In areas like inner cities or the like where such parking options exist, this type of destination guidance may make sense and be promising. In residential areas in which typically no paid parking places or parking garages are present, such a system ceases to be of use.